Baseboard radiation



Dec. 1966 1.. A. DE BIASE BASEBOARD RADIATION Filed Oct. 26, 1964 FIG.3

INVFN TOR LOUlS A DEBlASE United States Patent 3,289,751 BASEBOARDRADIATION Louis A. De Biase, 131 Main St., Warren, RJ. Filed Oct. 26,1964, Ser. No. 406,289 2 Claims. (Cl. 165-55) This invention relates toheat exchanges broadly and more particularly to baseboard form ofradiation.

The main object of the invention is to provide a baseboard radiatorconsisting of the usual pan type of housing and to provide a means tofacilitate the installation of said radiation within a building.

Another object of the invention is to provide a baseboard radiationdevice which will completely eliminate drafts from the floor levelthrough the stud area of a frame house.

A more specific object of the invention is to provide a foot for a pantype structure baseboard radiation which can be automatically set to apredetermined height above the subfiooring and which also will readilyaccommodate angular variations in the floor relative to the baseboardradiation run.

A still further object of the invention is to provide an interlockingstructure of baseboard radiation and floormg.

With these and other objects in view, the invention consists of certainnovel features of contsruction as will be more fully described andparticularly pointed out in the appended claims.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is an elevational view of a portion of the new baseboardradiation in fragmentary form;

FIG. 2 is "a vertical section of the new radiation with the radiatorfastened to a frame type building and the sub and finished floor beingin place; and

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary view with parts broken away illustrating themanner in which a section of baseboard radiation constructed inaccordance with this invention may be installed horizontally relative toan angularly extending floor.

Referring now to the drawings, the baseboard radiation comprises ahousing 10, which is made from sheet metal, having a rear wall 11 whichat the top thereof extends forwardly tand rearwardly as at 12 so as toform a top cap. In the particular example shown the rear wall 11 hasportions struck inwardly therefrom as at 13 and 14 fashioned wherebyhanger brackets generally designated 15 may be received therein. Thesehanger brackets are integral plate like formation having forwardlyextending portions which serve to support radiation generally designated16 in the form of fin tubing or the like. Additionally the forwardlyextending portions of these brackets 15 have nose portions as at 16' and16" which serve to receive :a finish or cover plate 17 in snappingrelationship therewith. The rear wall 11 provided at spaced locationswith a number of generally vertically oriented apertures 18, 18' throughwhich a pan head screw may pass and engage an L-shaped lower pan 20,which has an integral vertical wall portion 21 anda foot or base portion22.

For purposes of illustration, there is shown in FIG. 2 a portion of anormal frame type building structure which includes vertical studs orframing 25, a subfloor 26, a finished fioor 27 and a fire stop 28. Inbuildings which are being erected, that is now construction, it is thepractice to install radiation of the baseboard type in the buildingbefore any finish work is done. That is to say, the baseboard radiationwill be installed when the house is completely framed at which point thesubfloor will be in place. Depending upon the type of finish floor to beplaced in the building, it is necessary for the heating contractor toinstall the baseboard radiation a certain 3,289,751 Patented Dec. 6,1966 distance above the subfloor. For example, for a wood finish floorthe distance above the subfloor will be A of an inch while for ceramictile the distance will be 1% inches. Certain other variations are alsocommon in the building trade and apply to such other materials asasphalt and/or vinyl tile flooring including linoleum or the like, Wherethe distances are much less.

It will be readily apparent, therefore, that to install baseboardradiation in an unfinished or new construction building, will mean thatthe heating contractor will have to space his baseboard radiation acertain distance above the subfioor so that the finish floor may beplaced thereon and effectively be placed under the inwardly turned lipof the rear vertical wall, which occurs as at 30 (see FIG. 2). Toachieve these distances, it requires that spacer blocks or other meansbe used to maintain accurate spacing at which point the radiation pan orvertical wall structure may be anchored to the framing or studs byscrews, nails or other suitable fastening means. At this point inconstruction when outside walls have radiation installed it is necessaryfor the carpenter crew to come around and close olf the space below thebaseboard radiation so that fire stops such as shown at 28 in FIG. 2 maybe placed between each of the joists and terminating at the foundationor sill upon which the joists lie. This is done first by providingblocking plates 29 between the joists under the subfloor and thenfirring underneath the baseboard radiation. After the fire stop is inplace and the concrete set, the firring must then be removed. As can bereadily recognized, this is a time consuming project. The instantinvention, however, eliminates the need for the firring operation as thepan 20 provides a complete close off of the area beneath the mainvertical wall 11 of the baseboard radiation, which pan rests upon thesubfloor and extends vertically a sufiicient distance behind thevertical wall 11 so as to completely close off the area. This furtherprovides a tight seal between the lower edge of the baseboard radiationand the subfioor to completely prevent any creation of drafts beingfiormed from the interior room of the building up through the areabetween the outer wall and the inner wall, that is the area between theframes or studs: of the building. This is a situation that often createsitself particularly when finished floors do not tightly engage the loweredge of the baseboard radiation at the lip 30 or after the finishedfloor has shrunk from its original position thus leaving an area exposedthat leads directly into the wall area between the studs.

In many constructional jobs, particularly in old buildings or inentrance hallways of commercial buildings, the floor is angled to thelevel horizontal for either drainage in a commercial entry or in an oldbuilding this angle situation is created by sagging framing of thebuilding, thus making it difficult to install baseboard radiation tosuch an old structure. With use of the instant invention, the supportpain 26 is made in a number of sections along a length of baseboardradiation as shown in FIG. 3 so that individual adjustment of eachsection can readily be had. It has been found practical to make theindividual lengths on the order of approximately two feet and in thisway all types of irregularities can be easily accommodated. For example,as shown in FIG. 3, a concrete and/or terrazo type of floor 40 has beenillustrated which extends at an angle to the horizontal a decreasingheight being found at'the right of the drawing sheet. Accommodating thisangular variation, the pans 20, 20', 20 may be readily cocked relativeto the main vertical wall of the radiation. 'lo accommodate the largetangles, it is merely necessary to punch another hole for the selftapping screw 19 in the portion 21 of the pan thus showing the ease withwhich the invention may be used in practice.

Iclaim:

1. In a baseboard nadiator employing radiation means, a housing for theradiation means including a vertical Wall section, means for attachingsaid radiation means to said wall section, pan means extending belowsaid wall section, said pan means having a foot portion adapted toengage a subfioor of a building, said pan means being detachably securedto said Wall portion of said baseboard radiation.

2. A combination was in claim 1 wherein said pan means comprises aplurality of sections, each section having a unitary vertical Wallabutting the adjacent Wall in edgeto-edge relationship.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS Murray et a1.165-55 Kern 52--288 Arnold 16555 Haag et a1. 52-287 Nelson 16555 X Knollet a1. 16555 X 10 ROBERT A. OLEARY, Primal Examiner.

A. DAVIS, Assistant Examiner.

1. IN A BASEBOARD RADIATOR EMPLOYING RADIATION MEANS, A HOUSING FOR THE RADIATION MEANS INCLUDING A VERTICAL WALL SECTION, MEANS FOR ATTACHING SAID RADIATION MEANS TO SAID WALL SECTION, PAN MEANS EXTENDING BELOW SAID WALL SECTION, SAID PAN MEANS HAVING A FOOT PORTION ADAPTED TO ENGAGE A SUBFLOOR OF A BUILDING, SAID PAN MEANS BEING DETACHABLY SECURED TO SAID WALL PORTION OF SAID BASEBOARD RADIATION. 